Environmental penalties issued for the fourth quarter of 2023

Department of Ecology News Release - August 19, 2024

OLYMPIA -

The Washington Department of Ecology issued $1,109,200 in penalties of $1,000 or more from Oct. 1 - Dec. 31, 2023. You can find a detailed list of the violations and penalties below.

Ecology works with thousands of businesses and individuals to help them comply with state laws. The agency issues penalties when someone doesn't comply with the laws after Ecology provided technical assistance or warnings, or for particularly serious violations.

In some cases, a penalty may be reduced through a court ruling or settlement. The penalty amounts go to the state's general fund or dedicated accounts that help prevent pollution.

Ecology strives to protect, preserve and enhance Washington's environment, and promote wise management practices to benefit current and future generations. When someone pollutes Washington's land, air or waters, Ecology enforces state and federal regulations in hopes of changing behavior and deterring future harm.

Penalties issued October through December 2023

County	City	Date	Recipient	Violation description	Amount	Contact
Clallam	Port Angeles	07/26/2023	Orca Enterprises	On Sept. 24, 2022, Port Angeles Boat Haven Marina staff discovered the Orca, a fishing vessel owned by Orca Enterprises, sunk at berth. An estimated 109 gallons of diesel spilled to Port Angeles Harbor.	$1,400	Jasmin Adams 360-464-0324
Columbia	Dayton	10/09/2023	Shangri-La River Ranch RV Resort	On Oct. 9, 2023, Shangri-La River Ranch RV Resort illegally burned tires and a camping trailer.	$1,500	Stephanie May 509-202-5674
Kitsap		09/27/2023	P/C Katy Joe	On Oct. 29, 2021, the U.S. Coast Guard reported sheen from the Katy Joe, a sunken vessel. The Coast Guard hired a contractor to remove gas remaining in the vessel's tank. Ecology's investigation determined that about 41 gallons of gas and 2.5 gallons of lubricating oil spilled to Sinclair Inlet.	$1,600	Jasmin Adams 360-464-0324
Lewis	Mossyrock	06/27/2023	Isaac West	Isaac West illegally polluted a creek during construction on privately owned property in unincorporated Lewis County. The construction impacted local waterways, and eroded soil. News release	$168,000	Brittny Goodsell 360-280-3704
Lewis	Winlock	10/10/2023	Roger Foley	Real estate development company owner Roger Foley repeatedly mishandled concrete wastewater. This included illegally dumping the wastewater into the city's stormwater system.	$2,000	Brittny Goodsell 360-280-3704
Pierce	Tacoma	06/29/2023	Todd Herman	Washington State Ferries reported a partially sunken vessel, registered to Todd Herman, at the Point Defiance Marina. Ecology estimated 3.34 gallons of a lube oil and gasoline mixture discharged from the vessel to Commencement Bay. Herman did not notify the response agencies about the spill as required.	$2,400	Jasmin Adams 360-464-0324
Pierce		06/06/2023	Steven Lee Stone	On Jan. 4, 2023, a pleasure craft registered to Steven Lee Stone sank at the Point Defiance Marina and Public Access Dock in Tacoma. It produced a thick, silver-to-rainbow, unrecoverable sheen.	$2,400	Jasmin Adams 360-464-0324
Pierce	Longbranch	10/04/2023	Pacific Northwest Bulkhead Inc.	The boat Chignik No. 101 sank with 200 tons of large rock, a 100-gallon fuel tank containing diesel, and an excavator containing 10 gallons of diesel on board. The fuel tank was recovered before it lost its contents. Ecology assumes that the vessel and excavator's fuel and fluids (such as lube and hydraulic oils) released to Drayton Passage.	$1,000	Jasmin Adams 360-464-0324
Pierce	Milton	10/05/2023	Maxim Aficiuc	Maxim Aficiuc failed to use and maintain best management practices, submit required monthly discharge reports, control pollutants, and keep the soil stabilized during residential construction work. Ecology tried to contact him multiple times without success.	$1,500	Brittny Goodsell 360-280-3704
Pierce	Sumner	11/02/2023	Punjab Transit LLC	On Dec. 24, 2021, a Punjab Transit truck caused 50 gallons of diesel to spill to wetlands. Punjab Transit failed to quickly hire cleanup contractors.	$1,300	Jasmin Adams 360-464-0324
Snohomish	Everett	11/14/2023	Casino Tesoro	Underground storage tanks have mechanisms to prevent them from being overfilled, which are regularly tested to ensure they are functioning properly. The overfill prevention devices for the Casino Tesoro gas station's underground storage tanks repeatedly failed tests. The penalty was for failing to replace the overfill prevention devices as required.	$1,200	Scarlet Tang 206-920-2600
Wahkiakum	Rosburg	10/17/2023	Deep River Landing LLC; Luke and Crystal Gardner	On Nov. 4, 2021, Ecology was notified about a barge leaking bunker oil to the Deep River in Rosburg. In December 2021, Ecology floated the barge downriver, pulled it out of the water, had its oil removed, and had it deconstructed and disposed of. In February 2022, the riverbed below where the barge had been located was dredged to remove any remaining oil in the environment.	$3,900	Jasmin Adams 360-464-0324
Whatcom	Bellingham	10/25/2023	St. Joseph Hospital	St. Joseph Hospital repeatedly violated state dangerous waste laws, failing to institute preventative measures such as proper staff training, regular inspections of storage areas, and required reporting to Ecology. News release	$21,000	Scarlet Tang 206-920-2600
Whatcom	Ferndale	11/27/2023	Jagroop S Gill and Campbell Land Corp (Treoil)	This industrial site accumulated hundreds of thousands of gallons of oily waste, tons of solidified wastes, and numerous containers of dangerous waste, with much of that waste improperly stored adjacent to wetlands and a nearby creek. Treoil failed to designate this dangerous waste and to properly remove and dispose of it. News release	$900,000	Scarlet Tang 206-920-2600

Related links

• Overview of compliance & enforcement at Ecology

Contact information